Aeroplane.



W. F. WILLIAMS.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15. 1916.

Pavtented Ju'ne 5, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WETNESSES W. F. WILLIAMS.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. l5. I916- 1 228,729. Patented-June 5, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INIIVENTOR ATTORNEY w. F. WILLIAMS.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15. 1916.

PatentedJune 5, 1917.

3'SHEETSSHE'ET 3.

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INVENTOR ATTORNEY S S p w WILLIAM FRANCES WILLIAMS, OF LEADWOOD, MISSOURI.

AEBOPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Application filed September 15, 1916. Serial No. 120,376.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leadwood, in the county of St. Francois and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Aeroplane, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to aeroplanes, and its object is to provide a flying machine of the aeroplane type, which shall have marked stability both in construction and inaction in the air.

In accordance with the present invention the body of the machine is so made as to present broad plane sustaining surfaces with air channels, and wing and tail parts, all so arranged as to contribute to sustaining the structurein the air, even at low speed of travel. In addition, the body of the machine is of cellular structure, so as to contain gas, not only contributing to the buoyancy of the machine, but by its presence in the cells preventing collapse, and, therefore, permitting a lighter construction than would otherwise be the case.

The invention also includes an arrangement of parachute devices which in the event of the fall of the structure will open and provide air pockets resistant to the downward progress of the machine.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the machine with certain parts in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the wing portion of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of one of the para chute devices in the open position and indicating the closed position in dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal central section of the parachute of Fig. 4 with the showing confined to one end thereof.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of a closed parachute.

Fig. 7 is a section on t e line 77 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a body lhaving a forward nose extremity 2, side wings 3, and a tail portion 4, which latter may be quite wide, and, if desired, expand from the body portion toward the rear extremity. At the rear of the tail are horizontal rudders 5 and avertical rudder 6 between them. As the rudder structure does not of itself enter into the present invention and may follow any well known construction no particular description of these parts is given.

The body 1 with the wings 2 and tail 4 is of cellular structure and comprises a top 7 and a bottom'8 with longitudinal webs 9 and cross webs 10 whereby the interior of the body, wings and tail is divided into numerous chambers 11. The top and bottom walls or skin 7 and 8 may be made of any suitable material employed in the construction of aeroplanes whereby both lightness and strength is obtained.

With the present invention the subdivision of the interior of the aeroplane not only greatly strengthens the structure because of the bracing due to the presence of the webs 9 and 10, but the walls of the aeroplane are prevented from collapsing by filling the cells with a gas which may be under some pressure, although atmospheric pressure is usually sul'iicient. Air might be used, but

if under pressure would tend to correspondingly increase the weight of the structure. By using some light gas, such as hydrogen, the buoyancy of the structure may be increased even though the hydrogen be under some pressure. Each compartment 11 isprovided with a filling plug 12, so that in case gas under pressure is used, additional gas may be introduced from time to time to maintain the desired pressure.

The marginal portions of the body, wings and tail are brought to an edge as indicated at 13. so that progress of the aeroplane through the air is not retarded by abruptsurfaces.

At the nose end of the machine, the bottom layer or skin 8 is omitted and there 1s formed a channel 14 extending from the nose end of the machine to a point to the rear of the body portion, where the channel shallows toward the bottom of the machine and has a rear wall 15 ultimately merging into the wall 8. About midway of the length of the channel 14 it is provided with a rising cavity 16 formed by a dome-like swelling of the cover or skin 7 above the general top surface of the aeroplane, this dome being brought to relatively sharp. edges 18 lengthwise of the machine, so as to interfere as little as may be with the progress of the machine through the air.

Brace bars 19 extending crosswise of the machine where needed serve to sustain a working body 20 in which may be located the necessary engines and other parts for the propulsion of the machine, the body 20 carrying the usual sustaining wheels 21 upon which the machine rests when on the ground and also provided with a propeller 22, which may be of usual construction.

On opposite sides of the channel 14 and at the rear thereof at about the center line of the channel but depending from the bottom of the body portion and tail, respectively, of the machine are parachutes 23, 24. These parachutes are shown in detail in Figs. 4; to 6. Each parachute has opposite side walls 25 hinged to posts 26 depending from the under wall 8 of the aeroplane. The side walls are supplied with ribs 27 somewhat similar in character to umbrella ribs and hinged at what constitutes their upper ends to the post 26 immediately adjacent to the walls 8. The ribs on opposite sides of the parachute are connected by links 29to a runner 30 capable of moving lengthwise of the post 26, so that the walls of the parachute may be brought into close relation or spread apart as may be desired. Fast to each post 26 are springs 31 put under tension by the closing of the parachute so that in event of theopenin of the parachute the initial movementis'due to the expansion of the springs 31. In order to actuate the runner 30 there is provided a mechanism moreor less diagrammatically shown in the drawings. Each runner is connected by a link 32 to a lever 33 pivotally supported by the body or housing 20 and all the lovers 33 "are connected by links 34 to an operating lever 35 which may be held in one position by a latch 36, such position maintaining all the parachutes in the closed condition. On the release of the latch 36, the lever 35 is free to move and then the springs 31 are free .to expand, thus opening the parachutes for a limited distance, but enough so that in the event of the accidental fall of the aeroplane, the rush of air will cause the spreading of the parachutes to their full extend and consequently the retardation of the fall of the aeroplane. The parachutes have end portions 37 connected together by flexible webs 38 which. on the folding together of the sides of the parachute collapse between the side walls 25 and the end walls 37 When the parachute is open, the extent of opening is limited by the web 38 which also serves as an end wall for the parachute. Consequently, each parachute is in the nature of a pocket confining air.

When the machine is in flight, the parachutes are locked closed and only present narrow edges to the air, so that they offer but a minimum resistance to the progress of the machine.

When the machine is progressing through the air, the channel 14: serves in the manner as a condensing chamber in which the air becomes packed and, therefore, as the machine progresses through the air such packing of the air in the channel 14 causes the packed air to exert a lifting force on the machine. This avoids the necessity of so great a spread of wings and also the attainment of so high a speed of progrem as is ordinarily necessary in flying machines. It does not, however, interfere with high speed if such be desirable. For sustained flight, therefore, where high speed is not wanted. the machine of the present invention is particularly eflicient, since the aeroplane will remain sustained in the air at speeds which would cause aeroplanes as heretofore constructed to drop.

The added buoyancy due to the presence of gas in the chambers 11 aids in permitting a slow speed and also contributes to the economy of operation. since the machine is relatively lighter than other aeroplanes of like capacity. Moreover, the cells'll may be charged with gas under pressure suificient to prevent collapse of the structure under conditions of use.

Should an accident occur, which in aeroplanes as ordinarily constructed would result in the quick fall of the machine to the ground and the destruction of the machine and its occupants, the operator has but to release the lever 35, whereupon the parachutes will at once spring open to an extent permitting the relative uprush of air to complete the spreading of the parachutes and the consequent slackening of the falling movement of the aeroplane. The pocket 16 also has a parachute efl'ect while the channel 14 likewise contributes to the parachute efiect. The result is that an accidental fall. of the machine is so far retarded that the machine will merely sink slowly to the ground at a rate of fall which will be harmless to both the machine and its occupants.

What is claimed' is:

1. An aeroplane having a body Dfilllull. wings and tail in the form of a plane of cellular structure with the top and bottom surfaces flat and substantially parallel throughout the greater portion of their areas and with the edges reduced to relative sharpness.

2. An aeroplane having a body portion, wings and tail in the. form of a plane of cellular structure with the edges reduced to relative sharpness, the body portion having a channel on the under surface throughout substantially the length of the body portion as measured from front to rear of the aeroplane.

3. A11 aeroplane comprising a'body portion, wings and tail of cellular construction and having a channel on the under surface extending from the front of the aeroplane toward the rear thereofwith the channel intermediate of the wings.

4. An aeroplane having a body with wings and tail and provided with a centralized channel extending from the front of the body portion toward the tail, the channel being open through the under surface of the body, and the upper surface of the body rising above the general plane of the top of the body and constituting an air pocket opening at the bottom into the top of the channel.

5. .An. aeroplane having a body portion, wings and tail with parachute structures on opposite sides of the center line at the wing portion of the body and a parachute structure back of the body'portion of the aeroplane, said parachute structures being normally closed and provided with mechanical means for automatically opening them to a limited extent.

6. An aeroplane having a body portion, wings and tail, and parachute structures on the under surfaces of the aeroplane and in normal pendent folded relation thereto, said parachute structures having common means for folding them in the closed-position and each provided with mechanical means for automatically opening the parachutes.

7. An aeroplane provided with a. para chute structure fast thereto, said parachute structure having elongated side walls with foldable end portions, and spring means tending to spread the. side walls to a limited extent whereby the parachute walls may be. automatically forced open to a degree permitting air to complete the opening of the parachute.

8.,An aeroplane having a body portion, wings and tail in the formof a substantially unitary" structure, and said parts having to and bottom walls separated and connecte by webs dividing the interior of the aero plane into cells, and each cell having means for the introduction of gas thereinto, the body portion of the aeroplane being provided with a longitudinal channel open at the bottom for the passage of air lengthwise of the aeroplane, and the top wall ofthe aeroplane having an elevated portion open ing into the channel, and parachute structures on opposite sides of the body portion and at the rear thereof.

9. An aeroplane having a body portion, wings and tail in the form of a substantially unitary structure, and said arts having top and bottom walls separated and connected by webs dividing the interior 'ofthe aeroplane into cells, and each cell having means for the introduction of gas thereinto, the body portion of the aeroplane'being provided with a longitudinal channel open at the bottom for the passage of air lengthwise of the aeroplane, and the top wall of the aeroplane having an elevated portion opening into the channel, and parachute structures on oppositesides of the body portion at the rear thereof, said aeroplane being provided with a compartment below the body of the aeroplane for the reception of driving machinery.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM FRANCES WILLIAMS.

Witnesses THEODORE Harmon, WILLIE WILSON. 

